Such clips may be for sterilisation or other medical, orthopaedic or surgical purposes where an intermediate position of an applicator or other appliance is required to be able to be accurately determined.
The term applicator is thus meant to include other appliances, particularly in the medical field, which involve a closure of a jaw or other similar gripping or squeezing action in which a specific intermediate position is required to be determined.
The present invention will now be described with reference to applicators for surgical clips. Except in open surgery it is necessary for the applicator to be inserted down a cannula for the more modern “key hole” surgery. Thus, the applicator or more precisely barrel portion of the applicator has to pass down the cannula loaded with a clip to be attached for occlusion of, for example a vas deferens or other tubular member.
With clips of the Filshie type such as disclosed in GB patent no. 2177748 excessive force applied to the clip during passage of the barrel down the cannula can result in clip failure. The clip could fall out of the barrel once it emerges from the cannula or alternatively the clip could fail by incorrect closure.